Amtrak Mulls Arrival Of High-speed Midwest Corridor

December 23, 1998|By Jon Hilkevitch, Tribune Transportation Writer.

One day after being appointed president of Amtrak, George Warrington took the train to Chicago Tuesday, hinting that expanded Midwest service was being studied--a move that might begin to balance Amtrak's traditionally heavy investment in its densely populated Northeast corridor.

Citing Chicago as "America's most legendary railroad city," Warrington said Amtrak's record of implementing high-speed rail in the Northeast "will be put to good use right here in the Midwest, where we have been working with nine states to improve service

and decrease trip times."

Next October, Amtrak trains traveling at up to 150 m.p.h. will begin service between Boston and Washington.

Warrington and Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who is also Amtrak board chairman, said a major announcement on a timetable to establish a high-speed Midwest corridor will be made in late January.

Sources said that Amtrak, which received $2.2 billion in federal funding last year to begin new capital projects, will next month announce a firm financial commitment to an already federally designated Midwest high-speed rail corridor.

The corridor would build on the existing Chicago-to-Milwaukee service, increasing top train speeds to 125 m.p.h. from the current 79 m.p.h. between the two cities, as well as Detroit and St. Louis.

Legislators from the Midwest, meanwhile, are pushing for an expansion of high-speed service to eventually include Madison, Wis., Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

Since 1989, Illinois has invested about $44 million to upgrade track and improve grade crossings in anticipation of high-speed rail.